Managing Home Maintenance Costs

A client was recently asking why his shed was always cold. He had spent over $1000 insulating it with insulation, proper windows, and doors. His wife was quite frustrated and felt that he had wasted his money. He was wondering what he should do and how he could recover his investment. The questions of why is my insulated shed cold is a common one. Yet it has a relatively easy answer. Insulation placed in walls, floors, and ceilings of any structure do not generate heat. The insulation slows the passage of heat through the wall, preserving the temperature of the room or structure at whatever level it is at.

The keyword here is that it slows the passage of heat through the insulated barrier. In the summertime the interior can be cool because the insulation is keeping the outdoor summer heat from penetrating through the walls. In the winter, the reverse is true. However, unless you have a heat source there will be no heat to pass through the insulation. Windows and doors have different insulating properties. For example, a window will allow the sun’s rays to pass through the window. The radiation from the sun will heat up the interior of the room in the winter as well as the summer.

Solutions for Why is My Insulated Shed Cold

In the wintertime, use a small electric heater if you are able. It will add sufficient heat to make a small insulated room comfortable. If you do not have an electric heater or there is no electricity, you can use a gas stove, a propane stove or a wood stove. In all cases make sure there is proper ventilation for the stove to the outside. Your shed will remain warm. It will stay that way for a longer period if the walls and ceiling is well insulated.

The summertime is quite different. Your shed will remain cool. It will as long as the doors and windows are closed and the windows do not allow the sun’s rays to penetrate. The insulation in the walls etc. will prevent the heat of the summer months from penetrating. On cool nights you can open the windows to cool off your shed since some heat will always pass through the walls, windows, and doors depending on how well they are insulated.

Should you buy an electric or hybrid vehicles? Is it the right time, can you save enough money to off set the higher prices of these vehicles? Are the charging stations convenient enough? Is the technology mature enough as compared to the traditional gasoline or diesel powered vehicles? We think that most consumers are still concluding that the answer is no and it is still not time to make the transition from gasoline or diesel powered cars to an electric or hybrid vehicle. We will examine a few of the reasons why in the following paragraphs. Note that the industry is make tremendous strides in terms of the technology and the all important charging station issue.

Should You Buy an Electric or Hybrid Vehicles Now

We think that the issues can be narrowed down to the following five issues without considering items such as look and feel of the car for electric or hybrid vehicle purchase plans. These can be factors for some consumers over one model vs. another, but the transition to the electric vehicle is controlled by the following.

• Price
• Range
• Charge
• Power
• Convenience
• Upgrades

Price – are still higher for a comparable electric or hybrid vehicle vs the same model gasoline powered car.

Range – for hybrid cars is well up there compared to traditional cars, but battery technology has a long way to go before all electric vehicles will make the grade

Charge – power stations are not frequent enough yet. Consumers driving large RV’s must plan their route around places to stop for the night, electric cars are still in this same planning horizon.

Power – all electric vehicles have excellent ratings for 0 – 60, not so much for the hybrids. If this is important to you then you may want to wait a bit.

Convenience – for recharging to less space inside your car for luggage etc might be an issue for many consumers. The writer found that most hybrids and all electrics cannot carry the luggage for the family without major reductions.

Upgrades – all cars but especially the new all electrics are more and more controlled by computers which will need upgrades from time to time to reflect improvements and glitches that need repairs. A mature vehicle development for the electric car industry still has a way to go.

Other issues that many consumers will also consider include roominess, look and feel of the car, colors, and maintenance costs. Also top speed, resale values (which have not yet been determined for many new vehicles) and a host of other items.